Shippuden: Road To Ninja! (femalenaruto)
by INK-belle
Summary: Naruko's friends have become completely insane! what the hell is going on! is she and Sakura the only one completely sane! or... is it them, whose crazy?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

Shippuden: Road To Ninja (Female Naruto Style!)

Somewhere deep and sinister…

Tobi held a glowing crystal ball close to his mask. Examining it closely, but it wasn't just any crystal ball… it was the third hokage's crystal ball. The one with the power to show anyone the future but with Tobi's jutsu, it had the power to send any person into an alternate dimension.

…A whole different future.

It had taken quite a bit of time to fully understand and master, but here they were. But it was a only a one time thing, the crystal ball granted whatever it was your heart desired… you could choose to stay or leave your dream world. But by staying you would leave everything behind, friends, promises, and problems.

"I wonder what you would do for the one thing you desire most… Naruko Uzumaki…"

Back in Konoha

It wasn't much of a training day, well, in Rock Lee's opinion anyway. Neji and Tenten were covered in bruises and desperately needed a bath. But Lee didn't feel like he was tired enough to enjoy the bathhouses.

So off he went, letting both Tenten and Neji to go and relax. After all, they really wanted it. Just as he was passing an apartment to his destination, the training field, when he caught the most upsetting sight.

…

"HAHA! I WIN!" "NO WAY! YOU CHEATED, DIDN'T YOU?!"

Naruko watched as both of her clones went off on one another. Naruko #3 had lost a third round of poker, while Naruko #2 was just fanning the flames by mocking her. She never knew she was this annoying before.

It was a relaxation day today… and she had no one to relax with! It was just sad…

"I'm not playing anymore!" Naruko #3 pouted "Ha! You're just a sore loser!" and these two going at each other's throats like this, was only aggravating her. Right before an all-out battle begun between the two, Naruko released the jutsu, both clones disappeared in clouds of smoke. But… once they were both gone, the room was consumed in an unbearable silence once again.

For about a week now Sakura was busy with nothing but work, always telling her not to come and bother her for stupid reason. All the other teams were all pretty busy to, leaving her completely alone for the last couple of weeks now. Although, she would try to hang with Sai again… but considering what happened the last time, she just wasn't ready to face him yet.

So the only thing she's been doing was playing cards with a couple of clones, sometimes she'd have wrestling matches with them, a tournament of sorts to see who was the best Naruko, of course she would always win… but things were just so… lonely.

Her head slammed against the top of her table, feeling miserable.

…

Lee's giant eyebrow's knitted together in worry. It didn't take a genius to know she was lonely, the depressed expression on her whiskered face seemed completely out of place. He wished he could do something for her…

"Ah! Finally back home! I can't wait to go to the bathhouse!" Ino's voice caught his attention. "Three missions, one after the other can really build up dirt.." Shikamaru actually agreed with her. "But I wanna go get some barbeque!" Choji whined.

"… finally home… I th-think I'll visit the b-bathhouse… today." Hinata walked down the streets with Kiba and Shino at her sides. "Yeah! Pretty soon I'm gonna have to start calling you 'Brown-maru!" his dog barked at his joked. "…but he's not red or brown…. Why not just call him white-maru…?" "Geez, Shino! I only meant Akamaru really needs a bath!" Was everyone heading to the bathhouse today?

Then an idea struck him like a bolt of lightning.

"EVERYONE LET'S GO TO THE BATHHOUSE TODAY!"

Both Tenten and Neji glared at their teammate, he could be so loud at times.

Naruko jumped out of her window, wearing only a bikini top with a pair of shorts, for the hot weather. Her hair was disheveled and un-brushed since she didn't think she was going to do anything today. "I'm in!" from below Kiba's face grew red at the sight of her. "W-We're in too!"

Ino glared at the oblivious girl's bold outfit. _"Damn Naruko! Think's she hotter than me?!"_ "We're in!" Shikamaru smirked up at the Uzumaki. "A little hot today Naruko?" the girl looked down at him confused. He wanted to laugh at the naïve expression she was making.

…

"Hey! I didn't see Lee walk into the boy changing room!" Naruko stated curiously. Lee's female teammate answered in his place. "He said he still had 2000 steps on his hands before he could 'allow' himself any downtime." She shrugged, but Naruko smiled inwardly. He had done all this just so she wouldn't be alone, he was such a cool guy…

"Ah! I love the hot water!" Ino sunk into the relaxing warm waters, a content sigh coated her cheeks with red.

"I know right?!" both blond girls chatted loudly.

Only one person out of the five girls were having the worst time. Just when she had gotten time away from all the screaming, at the time it was a good idea to come here… but now, she wasn't too sure anymore. "Would you two shut up?! I'm trying to relax! I can't do that with you two being loud!" Sakura yelled irritably.

Her shout made Hinata squeak in surprise and quickly cover herself. Sakura immediately regretted making the shy girl feel uncomfortable. "Not you Hinata! You're okay! And… and you don't have to be so shy. I mean we'll all girls here right?" Naruko nodded her head furiously in agreement.

But she shook her head, trying to find the words to explain her embarrassment. "n-no! it's n..not that!... it's just that… they float up…" pink dusted her cheeks. Naruko swam next to her sitting right beside her same with Ino and Tenten. "Hey! Hinata, I never noticed! You really grew! Let's see who's bigger!"

On the male's side, all of the boys could hear the girl's conversation. It was embarrassing to listen, but they couldn't bring themselves to stop.

"-wow! Naruko I can't believe you're actually bigger than me and Sakura!" Shikamaru could easily recognize Ino's distinct shrill voice. A laugh was heard. "Haha! Of course! Ramen doesn't just taste good, but it's also good for the body!" the number one loud mouth proclaimed.

Kiba was getting anxious now, he couldn't just sit here and let a once in a lifetime opportunity pass him by... but than again, he also didn't want to be pegged as a perv. Shikamaru caught the painful look in his eyes and smirked, it was real easy to read him especially when Naruko was involved.

Before he could say anything Neji had caught the look Kiba wore. "I know that look, get your head out of the toilet bowl!" the dog owner, gave Neji a confused look. "I'll make this absolutely clear, NO, PEEPING!" the idea had occurred to him, he was happy just to come to the bathhouse with Naruko… but thanks to Neji, Kiba had a different idea in mind.

Calling forth his canine friend, Kiba swapped places with him. He just hoped no one asked him any crucial questions while he was away. Akamaru still hasn't master the human vocals cords.

Naruko laughed happily with the girls about a funny memory that took place here at the bathhouse. As they changed into their clothes a feeling of something missing had her puzzled. Then she remembered… Sasuke still wasn't here. Even after all the terrible things he had said to her, she still missed him. _"…I wonder… what he's doing right now…"_

Cracking sounds interrupted her train of thought. Looking back and forth, nothing was out of place but the sound continued, until a flash of green broke through the changing room rooftop. Naruko only had enough time to put her underwear on and wrap herself in a short towel. Hinata stood in a towel as well, but being more self-conscious, she turned red.

"KYAAAAAAAH!"

"L-Lee?! What are you doing here?!" Ino was quick to grab the poor boy by the collar, dangling him in the air. "You were peeping! Weren't you?!" she yelled.

"N-no! I was training, and my pants got caught on something!" he had tears in his eyes. Soon after hearing Hinata scream, Neji and the rest of the boys stumbled into the girls changing room, Kiba being the first.

"What happened?!"

Hinata was so red at this point, they could've mistook her for a red light.

"Lee was peeping!" Ino barked.

"What? That's absurd!" Neji tried stick up for his teammate. There had to be an explanation to make sense of the sudden strange behavior.

Naruko looked on confused at the scene, would bushy-brows actually do something like that? But before she could question, he made a break for it, never one to be put in that kind of situation before. "HE'S TRYING TO RUN! SEE? IT'S SUSPICIOUS!" Ino chased after him, the gang following right after her.

Lee… was peeping? No, a guy like him would never do something like that! The blond chased after the group, trying to stop them before they did anything too rash.

"You disappoint me Lee!" Tenten shook her head. He continued to try and prove his innocence. "But! It's not what you think! I was jumping from roof to roof when-!" he shuddered when Ino cracked her knuckles, an evil aura sprung up behind her. "… there's no use in talking!"

Sakura tried to intervene. "Wait! Hold on a minute! Maybe it really was just a coincidence!" "SHUT UP! I'LL BEAT YOU COS YOUR SUSPICIOUS!"

"ENOUGH!" Naruko stood in front of the cowering boy, throwing her arms out to shield him. "Bushy-brows isn't like that! He's our friend! If he says it isn't like that, than I believe him!" Lee was crying in happiness behind her.

Everyone's expression fell in shame. Well, everyone but Sai. Who walked to the front of the group, standing directly in front of the blond. Naruko was about to open her mouth to question the teen… when his hand reached up and groped her breast. He gave her his usual fake smile "I believe Lee too-!" he was sent flying with a well-aimed punch to the face.

"THAT'S NOT HOW YOU AGREE WITH SOMEONE!"

…

Naruko slumped miserably on her table. Her anger had finally subsided, but for some reason she still wanted to beat the living daylights out of Sai. She touched her cheek, irritably, unfortunately her blush still didn't go away.

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

She shot up straight in her cross-legged sitting position, now who could that be at this hour?

"Naruko! Open up! I've brought someone who wants to say something to you!" Sakura's loud voice boomed through the wooden door.

She dashed for the door, looking through the peeking hole, happiness swelled in her heart. Everyone stood behind a bruised and battered Sai. Sakura in the front, standing beside the pale boy was making him lower his head apologetically. Glancing down at her choice of clothing, would they care she was only wearing an oversized T-shirt and short-shorts?

"Maybe she's not home?" Ino asked. Kiba shook his head. "I can smell her, she's home!" Shikamaru glared at his confession of knowing her scent "…that's really creepy..."

Naruko swung open her door, grin plastered of her face. "Hey everybody! What brings you all here?!"

Sakura threw Sai to the front, with which he preceded bow. "I'm sorry… I was outta line, And I've learned my lesson!" he actually seemed flustered. This made her laugh. "Oh, Don't worry about it! I forgive you!"

"A-And! Lee said… we should all… come and visit you! I-I mean! It… has been… awhile…?" Hinata stuttered from the back of the group, Neji beside her nodded his head in agreement. If she wasn't a ninja, she'd swear she'd be crying right about now. "Uhh…" "Ooh! Is that pork ramen I smell?!" Choji rushed past her, followed by Shikamaru who muttered a 'troublesome' under his breath. One-by-one they all settled into her small apartment, talking happily amongst each other. While Naruko stared dazed, at the unusual number of people crowding her apartment, but she beamed at the extra company.

The rest of the visit had went with Naruko playing poker against, Kiba, Hinata, Neji, Lee, Choji and Sai. Surprisingly, Hinata came out the winner in every round. Also, she ended up having little gossip sessions with Sakura, Ino, Shino, and Tenten… oddly enough. But during their visit, no one was bored, everyone had a fun time.

But then it was time for everyone to go…

The blond girl sat in the dimly lit eating area, having a midnight snack of ramen. "They all should've stayed for dinner…." She blew a stray hair from her face. Playing with an hourglass between her fingers, Naruko replayed the night's shenanigans over in her head. A sad smile tugged at her pink lips. "… The apartment… seems a lot bigger now…" she glanced up at the ceiling, feeling terribly insignificant. _"…maybe, it's because I had fun today…"_

…

"The time has come! I've peeked inside you heart… Naruko Uzumaki!" Tobi raised the crystal ball above his head. "Let's start the limited **Tsukuyomi!"**


	2. An Uzumaki Day!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to its respectable owner Masashi Kishimoto! **

Chapter 1… An Uzumaki day!

"Akatsuki located… await further orders-""–_**RASENGAN!**_" A voice blared through his ear piece, shortly followed by an explosion in the distance.

"Damnit Naruko!" Shikmaru whispered harshly under his breath.

Why did she have to go super dobe at a time like this?! At least her idiocy made a perfect opportunity for a surprise attack though. "Everyone move forward!"

~3 minutes of fighting later~

The Akatsuki disappeared without a trace.

Naruko was left on the ground staring up into the sky, her face twisted in confusion. _"They were too easy… Like they were completely different people…."_ Her head fell to the left, the training cave in plain sight and only a short distance away. _"…that's where dad and hussy-sage trained…" _She was too lost in thought, not hearing the crunches of feet coming towards her.

"We're leaving now…"

She looked up at the person who spoke, a smile lighting her face. "Shikamaru!" The sixteen year old blushed at the sight of her. Sprawled out in a bed of grass, orange and black jacket zipped open showing the tanned taut stomach that hid beneath. He cursed that sennin for getting Naruko into the habit of dressing so inappropriately…

"We're leaving…" he said again.

"Okay!" they quickly caught up to the group, all heading in the direction of home. But Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, having already left for the village. The blond just shrugged it off as some kind of 'old people thing'.

-Back in the leaf village-

"Why would eight of the Akatsuki be brought back from the dead?" Kakashi shook his head, not knowing the answer.

"Thank you for bringing back this sample for us though…" Tsunade glared at the dismembered arm.

…

Finally all three teams had made it back, everyone's family happily awaiting their return.

"I heard you ran off the Akatsuki!" a woman with crossed arms and a wolfish grin walked towards Kiba. Naruko always found it eerie how him and his mother looked alike.

"oh.. they weren't that tough.." he tried to be modest. But she wouldn't have any of that. A rough pat on the back sent the teen flying forward, making Akamaru whine. "Don't say that! As expected my kids always get the job done!"

A man with a strong resemblance to Ino stepped forward, looking at his daughter but speaking to everyone. "Speaking of which… a mission like this was at a jonin-level!" Ino grinned "It was?!" their accomplishment was an even greater feat than they had thought.

"Yes! And all the parents were talking… we're going to recommend to the hokage that all of you be promoted to jonin." All of the teens faces lit up. "Really?!" Sakura was ecstatic. Naruko caught this and walked forward, hopeful. "Ah… does this mean, I'll also-" "I feel bad though… we're not from a very accomplished family." A woman with blond hair and green eyes interrupted.

Sakura blushed in embarrassment. "Mom!"

"The person in question is such a slob. Leaves her shoes around, doesn't fold laundry, and hates cleaning. If you promote her, won't she just cause problems for the higher-ups?" Sakura's mom joked.

Her father and everyone laughed. But their pink haired girl didn't find it that amusing.

"it'll be fine.. after all, our girl had a great teacher." His voice went deep for effect. "if you have a teacher, you needn't fear death." Now both parents were laughing, the memory of their little girl saying such an adorable thing.

"You guys, just back off already! You're both too loud and your jokes are just stupid!" she blew her top. Her mother was the one to recover from shock. "Huh?! What'd you say? I'm your mother!"

Naruko could see fire burning in both Haruno woman's eyes. She jogged to where they argued, hoping to dowse the flames. "Sakura, you didn't have to say it like tha-" Her teammate turned on her in an instant. "Shut up! Don't poke your nose in other people's family matters!"

She froze in her spot, all thought going blank. Naruko didn't know what to say, instead of doing her usual 'argue til she\s right' she turned on her heel and sped off. No one had noticed her departure since they were too busy talking with their folks.

As usual the streets bustled with business. People talking happily among each other, shops open for business. "Hey Sai? Are you becoming a jonin to?" the pale teen turned to her a his usual fake smile. "I'm a member of ROOT. We have a different ranking system. " he seemed eager to answer her question… but frankly, she just found him sort of creepy.

All that didn't matter as she walked the paved streets too lost in her own thoughts. That one familiar feeling swelled within her heart. A bright big bill board caught her attention. two loving parents and a grinning child… they all seemed to be laughing. Must have been a birthday, there was a cake right smack in the middle of their table. What was so special about a cake on a birthday? She wondered.

"-You're going to eat that cake all by yourself?" a father asked his daughter. The girl smiled childishly "I can eat all of it!" They walked away laughing.

A glare formed on her usually happy face and continued to walk. "Do you hate that child and parent?" She was caught off guard by Sai's blunt question. "You were looking at them… like you hated them." Guess she was letting her emotions run wild there for a moment. She had to tell him she hated them… just felt a little different. "No… I don't hate them, I don't even know them… I feel jealous of them….." She knew he wouldn't understand, he blinked in confusion a couple times. "….jealous of what?" Not feeling up to this conversation, she thought up an excuse. "Uhh… just nevermind Sai… I have to get home. I'm feeling really tired." He gave her a smile and waved her off.

He was sweet for walking with her. Somehow he had known something was a amiss with her. But he didn't have the social skills to comfort her.

Eventually Naruko come across her neighborhood's playground. It wasn't very big, but a lot of her childhood was spent there. Laughter could be heard from the area.

The joyous noise had her planted in that spot, staring envious as families played. A father carried his daughter out, a child tired from play.

Loneliness filled her heart, what was happening today? Was it make Naruko feel bad day?!

She knew that wasn't the case, but couldn't help the feeling.

Walking another block she arrived at her apartment. Her hand seemed hesitant to twist the door handle. She knew exactly what awaited her on the other side. But she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than a rest.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the threshold, baring a large grin. "I'm home!" A messy apartment greeted her. Of course she'd get no answer… why did she expect a greeting this time?

She sat by herself in the quiet, hopefully she'd get sleepy. But nothing… seemed she was just exhausted, not tired.

Well, now what was the point in even coming home in the first place? She needed ramen...

"Okay Naruko, so what did you want to talk about?" Iruka could sense her mood, eager yet determined.

"Right! Master…could you recommend me for jonin?!"

"No" The dude didn't even hesitate! Even now, he was casually ordering his usual like she hadn't asked him the question.

"B-but why?!" He turned on his sit, facing her with the most serious expression. "Just because everyone else is being recommended doesn't mean you have to… you have to rise through the ranks just as your mother and father had done." His reason was plausible yeah… but Naruko wasn't feeling very reasonable today.

"Come on Iruka sensei!"

"I said no!"

"Naruko! Your order is ready!" old man Ichiraku interrupted at a good time. The two ninja looked about ready to start an all-out fight.

Her anger subsided at the sight of ramen… only one thing bothering her.

"Ahh… menma? I thought I ordered Naruto?"

"Oh! We're completely sold out of Naruto. Look at the sign behind you." She did as told and indeed he was right. Naruto was sold out. Suppose it was one of those days she just couldn't take anymore. Instead of voicing her thoughts… she took her frustrations out on everyone else.

"But you know I don't like Menma! I like Naruto!" she was starting to sound like a spoiled child, even to herself.

Iruka had finally gotten sick of her bratty attitude. "That's enough Naruko!"

Without lifting her head, she stood throwing money on the countering before taking off in a fit.

Ichiraku was worried, "I didn't know she hated Menma that much… she didn't leave enough money." "I got it." Iruka offered, watching as his favourite student storm away. Something was bugging her… should he go and ask? … No, she'd only get angry. Women were confusing that way.

Stride for stride Naruko walked, trying to get away from…everything.

"…Stupid sensei…" she muttered only to herself, but was quieted once she came to a familiar street. Yells and crashes filled the area, all coming from one little home. Whoever passed stared at the building in concern or puzzlement.

"Why are you being so rebellious?!"

"Stop pestering me, I'm not a kid!" Whoever they were… they both sounded scary.

"And just where do you think you're going young lady?! It's past curfew!" Naruko immediately recognized the voice of Sakura's mother.

"I'm going out!" Sakura slammed the door shut to her parent's house, quickly racing down the flight of steps. Once at the bottom she was met with her blond teammate, who smiled nervously. "uh… hey Sakura! what's going-""-Walk with me!" she cut her off. Naruko had no choice but to do as the girl said, the grip she had on her wrist was as hard as iron.

"Sakura Haruno! You get back here!" they could hear the pink haired females mother yell.

It wasn't that hard to outrun her mom, she wasn't that fast. The two 16 year old girls swung on the swings of the neighborhood playground, Naruko sitting, Sakura standing. If it was any other day, Naruko would be the one happily standing, and Sakura being the more refined would be sitting. But tonight.. they weren't feeling like themselves.

"Sakura is this okay? Your mom was calling you..." the youngest out of the two began. She just scoffed. "Just ignore her. She's always like that! Always nagging me for everything I do…" Naruko didn't know what she was talking about at this point, but it sounded like she was complaining about her mother. A lot. "-And my dad isn't any better! He always takes my mom's side! She's not a very good ninja and has no hope of ever becoming a jonin!"

Naruko was starting to get annoyed at the girls ranting's. For some reason this topic was getting her very frustrated. "…Hey…" she said, almost threateningly.

But her voice went unheard since her teammate was to caught up in her one-sided conversation. "I wish I had respectable parents like everyone else! It's better not to have any, than to have parents like that!"

And that was it. That last sentence had crossed the line. "Sakura that's enough!"

The girl jumped from her swing, and pointed at the Uzumaki, accusingly. "What? You taking their side?!"

"That's not what I-!"

"Why does it have to be you right here…" A silence fell over both teens. Depressed expression's etched into both their faces. But Sakura continued on, ignoring the painful look in the Uzumaki's eyes. "… Sasuke would've defiantly understood me…"

"And what makes you think that…. What makes you think you knew Sasuke's feelings!? " Surprised by her outburst, she quickly covered her mouth. Her pink haired teammate was left, stunned.

"It's been a while Naruko Uzumaki."

Senses on high alert, both girls whipped in the direction of the voice. The blond summoned chakra into the palm of her hand, a clone manipulating its spin. "M-Madara!"

_**~Rasengan!~**_

He side-stepped her attack narrowly missing a direct blow to the heart, but he hadn't anticipated a mighty kick from her pink-haired partner.

"Hell yeah!"

He had disappeared in the cloud of dust, leaving them both in a crater sized hole created by Sakura and her almighty super kick. Naruko gasped as a searing pain shot up from her ankle. Was she hit?! No, she wasn't struck in the leg, and Sakura seemed to be just fine. "Naruko you okay?!" she dropped her head in a nod, must've banged it on something. There wasn't enough time to react when a giant flash of light burst out in front of them, momentarily blinding the two girls.

A bit of time had passed and everything was silent again.

The Uzumaki cast a worried glance at her partner. "What the hell was that…?"


	3. Odd Behavior!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto! **

Odd Behavior!

"What the hell?! Where'd that Bastard Madara go?!" Sakura was just as clueless, but stayed on high alert. "He must be hiding…. We have to warn everyone!" they took off, but immediately came face to face with team 8 who all walked casually.

"Hey, what are you two up to?" Shino inquired behind those circled sun glasses of his.

"Just a little while ago, we fought Madara. We think he's still around!"

They were expecting a stronger reaction... like shocked? Or fear…maybe surprised, but all three gave the girls quizzical looks.

"What's a Madara?" Hinata questioned, annoyance thickly laced in her voice.

"…Is that an illness~?" Kiba asked. To Naruko, his face twisted into a cute confused look… there was something different about him.

"Huh? What do you mean? Madara!" they said again, like saying the name would jog their memory. But they just looked even more confused. "Ugh! Enough of this! We're going to the bathhouse!" Hinata burst out, was she angry? come to think of it… they noticed her usual baggy attire a bit… altered. Actually it seemed to resemble Naruko's outfit a bit, minus the different colours.

Hinata noticed her staring and gave a smug smirk, also taking in her choice of clothes. "Someone finally got rid of that ugly oversized cloak and your hairs up to…." She hinted, but it was their turn to look confused. "… you act like you don't care about fashion, but I see now. Your just a big hypocrite." Was Hinata actually mocking her?!

She opened her mouth to reply, when a weight on her back had her slumping forward. With a glance behind Naruko found Kiba leaning against her… was he purring?!

"Nyan~Nyan! Wanna play with me today-OWW!" He jumped in pain.

Rubbing his backside painfully, Kiba glared at the one who had bit him. "Damn you Akamaru! You stupid dog! You bite me every chance you get!" The large dog growled, barking a response. "What makes you think I wanna be around you either?!" he hissed. Akamaru pounced at him, the brunette dodged the giant canine with great flexibility. Naruko never knew he was even able to bend backwards like that.

Akamaru disappeared down the street, happily ditching all of them.

"Ah… you and Akamaru mad at eachother?" Sakura cautiously asked. Kiba just glared down the path he left, "Nah, he's always been like that! Man! I wish I was born into a clan that involves cat's instead of dogs!" Lose fist's, resembling paws, came up and rubbed the back of his head. Naruko would've found it adorable if this wasn't such a weird situation.

"…Kiba is a devoted cat fan…" the quiet Shino explained. He wasn't acting weird… so what was wrong with the other two?

Naruko found Kiba pawing her upper back, and bent down to whisper into her ear. "You should dress like this more often! You look so cute!" Her face took on a scarlet hue at their proximity, what the hell was Kiba doing?! He never gets too close without her permission.

"Pft!… Kiba you're attempt at flirting is completely pathetic…" Hinata stated, clearly starting to get irritated by all these distractions, all she wanted to do was go to the bathhouse. "Just leave these idiots so we could get going!" Kiba mewed in displeasure at his teammate, quickly latching himself to Naruko, who was looking too shocked to notice. "~No!" he tightened his hold around her waist,

If possible the night's temperature dropped, Hinata's parted bangs shadowed her expression. "I could've swore…. you just said no to me…."the brunette was shivering, was he scared of Hinata? He looked like he wanted to take everything he said back.

But before things could get worse, and they were gonna worse… Naruko disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Shocked, Kiba searched back and forth searching for her. Only to find her racing down the street, Sakura right on her heels.

Shino stared impassively at the angry Hinata and terrified Kiba, a thought crossing his mind. "….I hate bugs…."

They ran from team 8, Madara had done something to make that team act weird. Maybe it was that giant light. Well, whatever the reason, they needed to tell everyone what happened right away.

Since Sakura was trailing behind Naruko, she had to dodge hordes of garbage bags. Stumbling over tipped trash cans, the blond was bad at making a path for her to follow. As they ran, the dark ally opened up to a bright street. Sakura crashed into the blonds back, immediately opening her mouth to lecture when she was quieted by her teammate who pointed in the direction of her shock.

"Choji! Let's get barbeque! It's all you can eat today! it costs 1500 yen! If we split it that's….." the overly eager character attempted to count. Choji sighed at shikamaru's antics "…500… All you can eat places aren't my thing… besides I don't eat much, so the food would only be wasted." "But I wanna go! I wanna go!" Shikamaru jumped up and down childishly, his teammate gave him a deadly glare. "Stop it! You're annoying me!"

"Yeah let's all go out today and eat…" a small voice spoke over the two. Ino stepped between the bickering boys, hoping to calm them. "Let's not fight, okay?"

Sakura was surprised to see her rival not in her scanty clothing… she seemed to be more reserved on her appearance. Was Ino Yamanka… **Thee** Ino Yamanka!... shy about her body?

Naruko was more baffled over the actions of Shikamaru. The young genius was actually acting out! She wanted to laugh, but her amusement died at the sight of Choji. How did he slim down so fast?!... she had to admit, he had a very handsome face but the sour scowl ruined his features.

Ino noticed their presence and smiled in delight. "Sakura!" she lightly jogged to where they stood, grabbing the pinkette by the arm. For some reason, Ino seemed much shorter than her actual height. "Sakura come and eat with us…!" "Uhh…" Sakura was at a loss for words, seeing this side of Ino was incrediably adorable. But they had a mission. "Guys! Madara is in the village! He attacked us at the playground!"

They were answered with the same looks Hinata and her group gave them earlier.

"… you were at a playground..?" Choji asked bemused.

"Aww! No fair! I wanted to go to the park to!" Shikamaru whined.

"Ah.. Whats a Madara?" Ino shy asked.

Naruko and Sakura slapped their foreheads with the palm of theirs hands. They weren't getting anywhere.

"Oh! I know! Madara is that thing you put in a hotpot!" the dim witted Nara answered, a wide childishly grin taking up half his face. Ino smiled in happiness "Oh!" either she was humouring the boy, or she was just as slow.

"We're not talking about the fish…"

"No! Madara! He's here in the village-!""-Sakura… you're acting odd… is everything okay..?" Ino asked politely. She was acting odd?! Everyone **but** Naruko and herself were the ones with odd behavior!

Choji stepped forward, placing both hands on the pink haired girls shoulders. His eyes were stern, like a father lecturing a child. "Sakura… You're a hero's daughter. So you should behave like one." She looked down shamefully, how could she act so childishly, especially since she was… what wait?!

Ino pointed upwards at the Hokage monuments. Naruko's heart dropped at the sight of Sakura's dad in the place of her own fathers face.

"D-Dad!?"

Sakura looked over to her friend, the faintest glint shinned on the side of her pupils.

Naruko attempted to shallow the lump in the back of her throat, but the tears quivered in her eyes. _"dads not there anymore…"_ her peace of mind was removed.

After finding out her dad was the hokage, his head craved into the mounted had given her a bit of comfort. Whenever she was sad, or just wasn't happy… his cool gaze and placid expression watching the village had her feeling….. loved? As if he was watching her right from the start, never leaving her side.

Now that he was gone….

"What are you two doing over here?"

Her mind completely stopped working, turning ever slowly in the direction of the voice. Stray tears fell down her face. Sakura was pale, her mouth dry. It wasn't possible! He was here…

People walked passed him, unfazed by the person who stood across the road. But Naruko ignored all that, the only thing that seemed to matter was the fact he was here. Everyone around disappeared from her sight. It was just him standing there, a smug smirk gracing his pale features. A black t-shirt under another blue-ish black shirt gave him a casual appearance. The Uchiha necklace around his neck seemed to make his smug look even more smug. "What are you doing in the village?!" she finally found her voice, was it too quiet? loud? She didn't know. Did it matter?!

He was amused by her question and answered with a roll of his eyes. "Is there something wrong with me being in my own village?"

"…Sasuke….."

Sakura was frozen in her spot, eyes wider than they had ever been, a mix of joy and hurt twisting on her face. What was going on? How was Sasuke even here? So many questions, they made her head spin. Madara was going to pay for this.


End file.
